Riccardo Pacifici, spokesman and vice-president of Rome�s Jewish community, expressed particular displeasure after seeing Massimo d�Alema – the Italian Foreign Minister walking arm-in-arm with Hezbollah deputy Hussein Haji Hassan in photographs published in the Italian press.

“Jews view d�Alema�s declarations in the Middle East not only with apprehension but with indignation in so far as he failed to identify Nasrallah and the enemy of peoples concerned about peace, liberty and democracy,” Pacifici said, referring to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

“Minister d�Alema continues during interviews to give advice to his �Israeli friends�,” he added. “With such declarations, Israel doesn�t need any other enemies,” Pacifici said.

Pacifici also called on what he called democratic forces within the government to respect Italy�s relationship with a “friendly state such as Israel.”

There are some 30,000 Jews living in Italy.

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EJP